This invention relates to power distribution blocks in general. In particular, the invention relates to a fuse block having a common power bus.
Power distribution blocks are commonly used in the art to collect a plurality of circuit elements, such as fuses, in one central location.
Several fuse blocks are presently available as snap-together modules that form a multifused panel. These snap-together modules are excessively large when a large number of fuses are to be held in the block. The modules also involve costly, labor intensive assembly.
Existing fuse block designs also commonly require the user to individually wire each circuit within the block for power input. When it is desired to power more than one circuit with the same power source, a jumper is installed for this purpose. These multiple wiring procedures, and the installation of a jumper, are costly, labor intensive, and time consuming to the user. In addition, added circuits require the use of larger gauge wiring in order to handle the additional amp load. The use of larger gauge wire is costly, difficult to handle, and requires more panel space to mount the fuse block.
Another problem with existing designs is the inability to protect the fuse block components from contamination, especially from liquids. Although xe2x80x9csplash coversxe2x80x9d are available for some existing designs, these covers are in the form of additional components that must be bolted in place. This type of splash cover poses certain disadvantages in that it requires additional panel space to be secured, and presents an additional labor cost for installation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,691 to Morach discloses a holder for removable circuit elements. The holder includes a metal bus bar having a plurality of fuse holders formed integrally therewith. Output terminals are provided which extend laterally from the bus bar. A cover member is provided that includes openings in the top for insertion of fuses.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,599,679 to Baader discloses a fuse bus bar assembly that includes a bus bar formed as two separate components that are stacked on top of each other. The bus bar components include oppositely bent tangs that cooperate to receive fuse terminals for electrical connection therewith. A cover member is provided that includes a plurality of openings for receipt of fuses. This construction requires rather precise formation and assembly in order for the tangs to properly receive and mate with the fuse terminals. If one tang is misformed or damaged, it may be necessary to replace the entire bus bar component. In addition, the housing and cover do not serve to effectively isolate the circuit elements or fuses from contaminants.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,438,310 to Ikari discloses a fuse box formed by a plurality of separate components that are mechanically attached to one another. This construction is overly complex, costly to manufacture, and less compact when compared to the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,842,534 to Mobley et al. discloses a fuse/bus bar assembly having a plurality of (female) terminal members attached thereto. The physical attachment of the terminal members to the bus bar represents an increase in cost and labor over the construction of the present invention.
In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a power distribution block assembly includes an insulative body having at least a first modular body section and a second modular body section, and at least one electrically conductive bus member having a longitudinally-extending base and a plurality of terminal blades extending from the base. The base of the bus member has a site for electrical connection to a power source and a longitudinally elongated U-shape channel defined by opposite legs. A plurality of terminal blades extend from the legs of the channel and include a plurality of sites for electrical connection to a plurality of removable circuit elements. A plurality of separate connector elements are contained within the body, and each of the connector elements are configured to engage a terminal blade of the bus with a terminal of a respective one of the removable circuit elements.
The modular construction of the insulative body facilitates use of a wide range of bus bars and different numbers of poles in a compact, easily assembled, low cost unit. The insulative body includes at least a first end section, a second end section, and a middle section engaged to the first end section and to the second end section. The modular sections are configured for snap-fit engagement to one another, and each of the sections include a plurality of electrical access openings providing access to respective sites of the terminal blades of the conductive bus member.
The modular body sections include male and female couplings configured for connection to one another to form an appropriately sized body to accommodate a specified bus bar or bus bars for power input. A tongue and groove arrangement securely connects the sections to one another, and, by adding or subtracting middle sections to the modular body, a wide range of power distribution blocks for accommodating different bus bars and having different numbers of poles is facilitated in a low cost, versatile, easy to assemble system.